Mary Reilly

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Jacob B Boring? Not really, just a bit of a slow burn during that brief but noticeable trend of horror movies being blended with period dramas after the success of Bram Stoker's Dracula. Yes, Mary Reilly isn't as good as that film and I do admit the film feels like it's spinning its wheels a bit when it comes to revealing to the titular character what Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde's dirty secret is but I'd hardly call it a cinematic catastrophe. Awkward Irish accent aside (and even then, it's nowhere near as bad as Keanu Reeves' English accent in the aforementioned Dracula), Julia Roberts does do a good job in a different role than the ones we're used to from her, John Malkovich seems to be having fun hamming it up as Mr. Hyde (he was fine in the Dr. Jekyll persona, if a bit too stoic), the film's usage of dramatic irony allows for some good suspense and I do like the art direction. Some immersive-looking sets that help sell the period drama aspect. Tim Burton was apparently involved in this film as a participant, according to his Wikipedia page, so that helps. Not sure what exactly he did though, given that other projects he was involved with that year made it unlikely that he had a ton of involvement with this film. Probably telling the production designers what to make different so that the press doesn't accuse them of plagiarism or helping the VFX artists visualise the body horror of that memorable transformation scene at the end. If you don't like Mary Reilly, that's fine. It does place a heavy emphasis on suspense rather than on gory killing sprees, which might not be to everyone's tastes. But for those who don't mind a bit of slow burn, this is a decent Gothic horror/drama that unlike what could be considered its spiritual predecessors, the '90s takes on Dracula and Frankenstein, does try to do something different rather than just being "Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"...which probably explains why they adapted a different novel from a lady who had the power of public domain on her side. That title would've been an absolute mouthful to put on posters and movie tickets! Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 10/20/25 Full Review Hughe J Mary Reilly was released in theatres in 1996 and stars Julia Roberts in the title role and John Malkovich as Dr. Jekyll. Mary Reilly is hired as a maid in Jekyll's house but soon notices him working odd hours. Jekyll eventually notifies the staff that his new assistant will be working with him and his name is naturally Edward Hyde. Reilly eventually finds that Hyde is a crazed murderer but also discovers that he is obviously also Dr. Jekyll. After some forced and unconvincing romantic tension between the two Hyde gets the upper hand but Jekyll kills them both and Mary Reilly wanders off. The best thing in the movie was Julia Roberts trying to do an Irish brogue; it sounded like the Leprechaun from the Lucky Charms commercials. Anyway, too dull, too long, and too many bad accents make this an easy movie to skip. Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 10/04/25 Full Review Violet M This movie is not perfect but I love it. The issues explored are deep and profound. I love the gloomy atmosphere. All of the actors deliver memorable performances. The soundtrack is a wonderfully solemn experience. The only thing that makes me cringe is Julia Robert's Irish accent. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 06/22/24 Full Review Dinos K perfect movie if you suffer from insomnia. I guarantee you'll be asleep in the first 10 minutes Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 04/29/24 Full Review Kevin F Wonderfully atmospheric treatment of a story that has never really been done properly on the screen. Exceptionally refined performances from a superb cast, the film builds steadily to the point where the smallest of incidents take on very disturbing aspects. If you are a jump scare, Saw aficionado, this one's not for you. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 10/28/23 Full Review Steve D Ok version of the often told tale. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 09/18/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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